Page 11 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

The Place Between Worlds

S omething jolts me awake.

I blink open my eyes to a dimly lit room.

I’m lying on the bed, with Josh clinging tightly to me in his sleep.

His hands remind me of Grimlet’s claws, the way he would hold on so tightly, as though that would keep him safe from the horrors of Hell.

I hope Khaosti is being kind to the little gargoyle, though kind is not a word I tend to associate with Khaos.

Across the room, Zayne is sprawled in the chair. I offered him the bed, but he said, “What the fuck for? There’s no fucking way I’m going to sleep.” I can hear his gentle snoring.

My body aches for sleep, for the black void where nothing hurts and no one needs saving. But my eyes won’t close. My mind won’t shut up. Fear claws behind my ribs—sharp and relentless .

How do I keep Khronus from hurting Zayne or Josh without giving away too much of myself? I need to be intriguing enough to be worth keeping alive, but weak enough that he underestimates me and gives me the chance to get us all away from here.

It would help if I knew what he wants.

More power, obviously. To be worshiped, definitely.

I don’t get it. Why would anyone want that? I just want...

A vision of Khaosti fills my mind. My chest tightens.

I can still feel the press of his body, the warmth of his skin against me, the way his mouth moved over mine, as if he was memorizing it.

That last time we made love, we knew we were likely going to die, and it was still the most sublime moment of my life.

For a brief time, I forgot about the future and whatever pain and loss it might hold (a fucking lot, as it turns out), and just lived in that moment.

My heart rate picks up, and the bond jerks tight—hot and sharp, like barbed wire around my heart. I suck in a breath and press a fist to my chest. It’s him. Somewhere out there, it’s him .

Where is he?

Still on Valandria? Or has he already traveled to Earth? Or—gods forbid—here?

I’ve been trying not to think about him because it hurts too much. Part of me wants to pretend he doesn’t exist, to be free of the fear of losing him. Of being forced to watch him suffer and die.

But I can feel him inside me, part of me, whether I like it or not. I concentrate on the bond and feel a spark.

“Amber?”

The word slices through the silence .

I jerk upright—my pulse spikes, heat rushing to my face. But there’s no one here. Just me...and the bond, humming like a live wire under my skin.

But maybe he is calling me. I close my eyes and sink into myself, concentrating on the bond, feeling its first tentative tug, then stronger, pulling me under.

And I’m in another place.

The darkness wraps around me, thick and endless. And there’s no sound. Nothing. I am floating in an empty space. It’s peaceful.

I have a feeling that this is not the first time I’ve been here.

And then there’s light. Not a soft glow, not a flickering candle, but a blaze of silver radiance that sears through the nothingness. It draws me forward, whether I want to go or not. My body feels weightless, floating through the void, untethered from my messy life.

The world around me is vast and endless, a sea of shimmering silver mist. Above me, the sky is awash with swirling constellations that pulse and shift, as if the stars themselves are watching me.

Beneath me, the mist swirls like water and shadows intertwining, solid yet shifting with each breath.

I am nowhere and everywhere all at once.

Yeah, I’ve definitely been here before.

That time I was dying. I’d been sliced through the side by a great big sword. I met the goddess Selene, and she offered me the choice between life and death—honestly, it wasn’t an easy decision, and I’m still not totally convinced I made the right choice .

Am I going to see Selene again? And if so, is she actually going to help me get out of this mess?

But then I hear the beating of huge wings.

Suddenly, there’s ground beneath my feet.

Or rather, my hooves. I’m in my alicorn form.

I spread my wings and toss my head, then stare up at the sky.

A huge form is blocking out the stars. Vast and beautiful, pulsating with raw power.

An invisible flame leaps between us, drawing tight around my heart.

Then he folds his wings and dives toward me.

My breath catches. His eyes—those impossible eyes—lock on mine, and I swear the world tilts. Every piece of me arches toward him.

I prance in anticipation, standing my ground as the dragon lightly touches down in front of me.

He is so beautiful, my heart aches. And fierce and terrifying.

His scales are so black, they suck in the light; each one a sliver of midnight forged in flames and shadow.

His wings are inlaid with runes of gold that shimmer in the starlight.

He takes a step toward me, and a shiver runs through the air. I’m back in human form, and so is Khaos.

For a second we stare at each other, held in place by the fear that the dream will evaporate.

Hope is dangerous. We’ve learned that. But my body doesn’t care—it surges into his like we’ve been drowning and just found air.

Then we both move at the same time, and I’m in his arms, and for a little while, I forget reality.

I gaze into his eyes, still glowing with the ferocity of his dragon.

Then his mouth takes mine in a savage kiss, part overwhelming need, part desperation.

His lips are hard on mine, and I grip his shoulders, pressing myself against him, thrusting my tongue into his mouth. He tastes real. He feels real.

His lips break free, and we both gasp for oxygen.

Then his hands are in my hair, tugging my head back, and he’s biting my neck, licking my skin, burying his face in the spot where my shoulder meets my throat, inhaling me.

I want to climb his body, wrap my legs around him, hold him to me so even the gods can’t drag us apart.

Finally, he goes still. He raises his head and stares down into my face. “Is this real?”

Who knows? How do you even define what’s real anymore? But overall, I’d say... “No.”

A rueful expression crosses his face. “Couldn’t you have lied?”

“I’m not a good liar. You wouldn’t have believed me. I think it’s a dream. A dream we are both having.”

“Well, it’s a good one.”

“Yeah. I don’t want to wake up.”

“Then don’t. Stay with me. At least for a while. For as long as the goddess allows.”

I grit my teeth at the reminder that Selene can decide anything and everything about me.

But then I force myself to relax. I don’t want to spoil this moment.

I bury my face in his chest, greedy for the scent of him.

Spice and heat and something wild—something mine .

I want to crawl inside it and never come out.

After one last breath, I take a step back to look around. This is a land of shifting mists and starry skies. There’s a sense of peacefulness and continuity, as if this place has been here forever and will always be here.

“I’ve been here before,” I say.

He raises a brow. “When?”

“During the battle where I nearly died. I came here and met Selene, and she gave me the choice to die or to accept life.”

“I’m glad you chose to live.”

“So am I. Mostly.”

“So why are we here?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking about you. And then...poof. I’m guessing it’s tied to the mating bond. Maybe it’s tethered to this place.”

Khaosti is looking around, and I take the opportunity to stare my fill. He’s so beautiful, as a man and a beast. All long, lean muscles and sharp angles. He looks tired, his amber eyes shadowed.

I reach up and stroke his cheek over the soft stubble. “Are you okay?”

“No.” The word comes out as a growl.

“Me, neither.” I take his hand. “Come walk with me. Tell me what’s happening.”

“I’m on Earth, on my way to see your friend Killian. Grimlet is with me.”

“I’m glad.”

“Then I thought I would go visit Brown. See if we can find a way back to Astrali without my father’s knowledge.”

“Be careful. They’re watching the Chamber of Mirrors. ”

We stroll together, hand in hand, almost like a normal couple. I bring him up to date with what’s happened, ending with Sheela’s message.

“So your mirror magic doesn’t work? You’re stuck there?”

“Maybe. It might just be within the palace.”

“Yes. It’s never been possible to travel directly into the palace.”

I shrug. “But if I’m stuck in the palace, then it makes no difference. I’ll know more when I meet Sheela.”

“Just stay strong. We can do this. One day it will be over, and we will have a life together.”

I don’t answer, just glance away, and we walk in silence for a while. It’s peaceful here.

Then there’s a subtle change in the air, as if the universe is holding its breath. My footsteps falter. Khaos comes to a halt beside me.

Lightning slices the sky, and for a heartbeat, everything goes still.

Above us, the stars unravel.

And there it is.

A structure too vast for the mind to hold. Silver rings orbiting a radiant core, spinning slowly at first, then faster. Each ring is carved with symbols I don’t understand but somehow recognize.

And though it’s like none I have ever encountered, I know it’s a mirror. Maybe the first mirror. And the last.

My knees go weak. I can’t look away. The rings are vast, endless, terrible—and they’re watching . My magic stirs in my gut like a snake uncoiling. Something in me knows this mirror. And something in it knows me .

Then the Mirror pulses—once, twice, and light fractures across its core, like cracks of silver lightning, too bright and too fast, as though something inside it is splintering.

“Amber!” Khaos calls to me.

I spin—but he’s already slipping away, dragged backward into the sky, his scream swallowed by the wind.

I try to run after him, but the ground vanishes beneath me.

I fall.

And the stars blink out.

“Amber.” Someone shakes my shoulder, and I open my eyes. It’s Zayne. “Thank Christ,” he says. “You were having a nightmare. We couldn’t wake you up.”

Josh is standing at his shoulder, chewing on his lower lip. His eyes are wide.

I push myself upright slowly. My heart’s still thudding, my body drenched in sweat, and my fingers twitch like they’re trying to hold on to something that’s gone.

I stare past them, past the room, past the real.

Was that a dream?

It felt too vivid. Too deliberate.

Not a memory. Not a vision. Something in between.

But who is controlling what I see? Selene or the Mirror itself...

If I close my eyes, I can still see it—those silver rings endlessly spinning in the void.

Cracked. Broken.

And the world unraveling.